Multipower
For a long time, motor catamarans led a marginal existence, but that has changed. Over the past forty years, they have developed into a patented alternative to monohulls in all size classes, from simple dayboats to superyachts.
In 1985, Jeantot Marine launched the first Euphorie 40 in Les Sables-d’Olonne. Catherine Relandeau, who worked for the shipyard at the time, remembers: “The boat was poorly made, but we still sold 43 of them. There wasn’t really a market for it, but the modern design language appealed. Design is extremely important in the motorboat segment.” Five years later, a 44-footer followed, followed in 1998 by the Transcat, a power cat with a trawler character. Paradoxically, the pioneering shipyard, which now operates under the name Privilège, withdrew from the motorboat market shortly afterwards.
Twenty difficult years
At the beginning of the 2000s, leading sailing catamaran manufacturers entered the market. Lagoon launched the Power 43 in 2001, Robertson & Caine the Leopard 46 PC in 2002. Fountaine Pajot followed suit in 2003 with the Greenland 34 and a year later with the Cumberland. But the classic motor yacht public continued to swear by style and speed. The advantages of a multihull lie elsewhere and appeal more to fans of trawlers. They score points with stability on the water and at anchor, a large amount of space, little noise as the engines are further away from the living area, and lower fuel consumption, provided the underwater hulls and the motorization are energy-efficient and you are content with a planing speed of around 10 knots. Lagoon discontinued its engine program in 2009 and concentrated on the production of sailing catamarans. Fountaine Pajot, on the other hand, continued to develop independent models.
Aquila as a pioneer
Motorized multihulls did not benefit from the advertising by charter fleets, because at that time these consisted exclusively of sailing catamarans. Even today, Dream Yacht Worldwide’s fleet comprises only six power catamarans out of a total of 800 units. Sunsail and The Moorings will soon be offering around one hundred models for charter, which corresponds to 15 percent of the fleet. The US provider Marine-Max did not have to convert its fleet first. In 2012, it founded the Aquila Catamarans brand together with Sino Eagle and commissioned the visionary Lex Raas from Moorings to design the first Aquila 48. The special thing about it: it was not a modified form of a sailing catamaran, but a boat designed from the ground up for motor operation. In collaboration with J&J Design, Aquila adopted the typical features of a motor yacht in terms of workmanship, equipment and design and had the Powerkat built in a specially constructed factory in China. This was quickly followed by a 36- and a 44-footer. Today, the range consists of twelve models from 28 to 70 feet. With around 140 units produced per year, Aquila is a world leader.
Sunreef, luxury on two legs
In 2008, Sunreef entered the market with a 70-foot boat (21 m). Francis Lapp’s first customer was the Swiss skipper Laurent Bourgnon. He could not have wished for a better advertising medium! He built Jambo with a particularly long range for him, as he wanted to be able to cross the Pacific without refueling. The successful Powerkat, with eighteen units sold, laid the foundation for today’s Sunreef Power line. Over the years, the Kats became ever larger and more luxurious, symbolizing a certain lifestyle. Supported by prominent ambassadors such as Rafael Nadal and Fernando Alonso, demand increased so that the Gdansk-based shipyard opened a second production facility in Dubai. Another exception in the luxury segment was the Adastra, launched in 2012. The trimaran with a length of 42.50 meters was built by McConaghy in China according to plans by John Shuttleworth and caused quite a stir due to its unusual design. However, with the exception of a few prototypes such as the designs of the ingenious Nigel Irens or currently the LEEN, motor trimarans are extremely rare.
Outboard motor for getting started
For a long time, the power cat market was predicted to have a promising future, but failed to achieve a breakthrough. In the last twenty years, however, it has picked up speed and the number of models has doubled. Most of them are produced in series by renowned manufacturers. The fact that the market has now reached a certain level of maturity is shown by the division into three segments. Dayboats form the basic segment. Due to their surface area and stability, they are particularly popular with anglers. With powerful outboard motors, they can all reach at least 20 knots, sometimes up to 50 knots. The best-known brands include Aquila, Worldcat, HammerCat and YOT (Catana Group). They mainly serve the US market. Beneteau did not want to miss out on the strong demand in America and commissioned its subsidiary Four Winns to develop the TH36. The largest outboards in the entry-level segment with a length of 10 to 12 meters can also be used for coastal cruising thanks to the toilet, sheltered seating area and sometimes even one or two cabins.
12 to 18 meters for long journeys
In the middle segment, which includes catamarans for mid-shore cruises, the competition is fiercer. Fountaine Pajot has to hold its own against several competitors with its 11 to 14 meter inboards. In addition to Leopard, Aquila and Aventura, Longreach and Hudson Powercats also want a slice of the cake. In order to adapt its portfolio to demand, Beneteau has launched an M series under its Prestige brand. It has more motor yacht-specific features than the Lagoon Power, which are very similar to sailing catamarans. Fountaine Pajot is responding to this offensive with the Veya brand, which it is launching in partnership with the motor yacht brand Couach. The collaboration will kick off with a 53-foot model. YOT also wants to gain a foothold in this segment and has announced a 53-footer for the end of 2026. Convinced of the market’s potential, Catana Group had a 20,000 square meter plant built in Aveiro, Portugal, for the construction of YOT catamarans. It has twice the production capacity of the market leader Aquila.
Multiyachts, the new Eldorado
Almost everything is allowed in the top class from 60 feet. Dreams are fulfilled here. While the leading multihull manufacturers adapt the hulls of their sailing catamarans for cost reasons (Power 67 and 80 at Fountaine Pajot, Sixty, Seventy and Eighty at Lagoon), Sunreef focuses on individual new builds. With its tailor-made solutions for long journeys, voyages of discovery and high-end luxury, the shipyard covers the entire range. The good thing about this is that the multihulls are quite economical. Sustainability has become a selling point. Sunreef is leading the way with its Eco line, Serenity with its all-electric models and Silent Yachts soon with Whisper. The layout of multihulls makes them particularly suitable for large-scale solar panels. The motor catamaran has evolved from a pioneering craft project to series production. In most cases, it has separated itself from the sailing models. The international range meets the increasing demand for comfortable, seaworthy and well-designed boats in all three segments with a wealth of innovation. Powerkats have become an indispensable part of the motorboat industry.